


Melt

by Heather_Night



Series: Burn [3]
Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Delirium, Fever, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, POV Deran Cody
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:27:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21639580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heather_Night/pseuds/Heather_Night
Summary: Deran was back at home, in his room, frowning.Yesterday he’d fallen asleep with Adrian’s back tucked against his front, nestled like spoons in the drawer.  He hadn’t been able to comfort his lover although he’d wrapped him up tightly in his arms while the newly presented recessive had shuddered and whimpered his distress.When Adrian had run out of tears, Deran had cradled him close and breathed in his scent.  Their breaths synced up until the steady rhythm lulled him to sleep.He’d woken up alone.
Relationships: Craig Cody/Clark 'Linc' Lincoln, Deran Cody/Adrian Dolan
Series: Burn [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559851
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25
Collections: Animal Kingdom ▶ Deran Cody / Adrian Dolan





	Melt

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are, part three of the four-part Burn 'verse. 
> 
> Huge thank you's to @allthehearteyes and Elizabeth Noble for excellent advice and hand-holding while I worked on this set.

Deran was back at home, in his room, frowning.

Yesterday he’d fallen asleep with Adrian’s back tucked against his front, nestled like spoons in the drawer. He hadn’t been able to comfort his lover although he’d wrapped him up tightly in his arms while the newly presented recessive had shuddered and whimpered his distress.

When Adrian had run out of tears, Deran had cradled him close and breathed in his scent. Their breaths synced up until the steady rhythm lulled him to sleep.

He’d woken up alone.

There had been no note, no message on his phone. 

No Adrian.

His bag was gone which indicated he hadn’t stepped out for coffee or a bite to eat or to make a call.

He was just…gone.

Deran had checked out of the hotel and returned home, watching the time turn over on his laptop as he waited for the appointed hour.

Today he was to partner with Linc. It should’ve been a happy day. He should be on top of the world.

Or at least excited at the prospect of topping. He was definitely relieved that he would be the sexual aggressor but there was no excitement.

He was depressed; he’d hurt Adrian. Not only that but he didn’t know how to find him.

Craig knocked on his door but it was cursory as he barged right in. “Dude, Jess Dolan is at the gate. She’s fucking pissed off. You’re lucky Smurf is out right now.”

Deran perked up. Jess was always fucking pissed off at Deran so this was nothing new. Maybe she’d actually tell Deran how to get in touch with Adrian. He didn’t care if she hurled abuse at him; just so he ended up with a way to find his partner. 

His brother refused to open the gate—maybe because he was scared of Smurf’s reaction but most likely he was just scared of Jess—so Deran slid into his Vans and ran outside. He could hear her cussing him out as soon as he set foot outside the house. 

“Jesus, Jess, hang on. I’m coming.” Deran yelled as he sprinted toward the wall. He didn’t want her to suddenly pull a disappearing act.

He disengaged the security and slipped outside to find her climbing into the driver’s seat of the family’s ancient Suburban. “Get in the fucking car.”

Deran complied, reminding himself that he needed Jess to find Adrian. He barely had closed the passenger door when she rocketed off. “Where are we going? Are you taking me to Adrian?”

She shot him a quick glance, lips turned down and eyes narrowed. He realized that the siblings looked remarkably alike with the same shaped faces with strong jawlines, straight noses and eyes although Jess’s eyes were a lighter shade of blue than Adrian’s.

Jess’s eyes were also bloodshot and shiny with tears, just like Adrian’s had been yesterday. “Jess, you’re scaring me. Is Adrian okay?”

“He’s at the Heat Center.” Jess spit the words out but they ended with a sob. 

This could be awkward. Deran was due to meet Linc at the Heat Center in two hours. “Uh, okay?”

“No, not okay. Very not okay, you asshole. Adrian is suffering from heat sickness. They’re not sure…” Another hiccupping sob that sounded just like Adrian’s although Jess was standard, not recessive. 

“Not sure what? He’s going to be okay, right?” Deran knew the basics of heat sickness. Something about if a recessive went into heat without a partner, then they might get sick. 

Silence greeted his question. “Jess?” Deran stared at the side of her face, watching tears leak out of the corner of her eye, trickling down her blotchy skin. 

“Some dominant,” she paused, giving him the side-eye, then soldiered on, “rejected him and now he’s sick. Really fucking sick.” Jess dragged the back of a hand across her cheeks, smearing the moisture. 

“I didn’t reject him, I swear. I want to be with him.” Deran wanted to believe that Jess was blowing this out of proportion but if Adrian rarely cried, Jess never cried.

And yet she was now crying—

“I don’t care what you want, Deran. You’re going to fix this. Adrian doesn’t deserve to die over,” she paused, took a breath, “ _you_.”

Deran clutched his stomach, feeling like he’d caught the end of the board in his gut. 

Adrian had told him and Deran had thought he was being melodramatic. _It will kill me if you partner someone else_.

He’d go into the Heat Center and tell Adrian he was fucking everything to him and then he’d get better.

Deran would fix this.

-0-

Deran slumped forward, resting his forearms on his thighs, tugging at his hair. 

He didn’t know how to fix this. 

Adrian had a high fever. If it climbed any higher, the medical staff said it would be hyperpyrexia; Deran didn’t know what that meant but he knew it wasn’t good based on the solemn tone everyone used.

At the moment the staff were trying to keep Adrian comfortable—lukewarm wet sponges applied to his overheated skin although Deran didn’t understand because shouldn’t it be cold water?—and pumping liquids and fever reducing drugs through his veins.

Adrian would hate the IV stuck in the back of his hand. Even now he shifted around and pulled at it but he lacked the coordination to do any damage.

And strength.

Deran had never seen his strong friend so weak. 

Adrian puffed out rapid breaths, his chest barely dipping up and down, as he moaned. “Deran?”

Up on his feet in an instant, Deran hovered over Adrian. “I’m right here, Adrian. What do you need?”

“Why did Deran leave me?”

 _Fuck_. He’d been told Adrian was delirious from the fever but it broke Deran’s heart each time he heard his friend, faint raspy voiced, asking why Deran had rejected him.

“I didn’t leave you, Adrian. I’m right here.” Deran kept his voice soft because when he raised it, Adrian became agitated.

Make that more agitated as Adrian tossed his head on his pillow and tried to pull at the needle in the back of his hand. Deran intercepted his hand between both of his and chafed at the too hot skin.

“We’re going to get a little more aggressive with cooling Adrian down. Just let me put these ice packs around him and then I’ll leave you two alone.” This was the nurse who was nicest to him. Nina. She had light hair and blue eyes which reminded Deran a little of Adrian but it was her sweet, caring demeanor that meant the most.

Just like Adrian was sweet and caring.

Nina positioned the ice packs beneath Adrian’s armpits as well as in the creases where his thighs met his groin. Adrian must not have liked the cold placed anywhere near his sensitive genitals because he thrashed weakly, murmuring incoherently.

She turned to Deran, holding out one last icepack. “If you can hold this behind Adrian’s neck, that should help cool him down.”

Deran took it from her, remembering the last time he’d been with Adrian.

When he’d bitten the gland at the back of Adrian’s neck. It had been pure instinct and despite the sex ed classes, Deran hadn’t been able to keep himself from touching the place most closely associated with Adrian’s allele identity.

The bite that had triggered this whole clusterfuck.

No one except Jess had thrown an _I told you so_ in his face. Everyone knew biting the gland was a claim, it’s just no one mentioned how hard it would be to keep from doing it.

And telling Adrian he was going to partner with someone else…that on top of the bite had caused Adrian to spiral into heat sickness.

Deran absolutely hated seeing Adrian like this. Not because being around a sick person was gross—although it was true when Deran was around his brothers who had a cold or something—but because he felt absolutely useless.

This wasn’t the time for self-recriminations; Adrian needed him. “Come on, sweetheart, this will make you feel better.”

Adrian stilled at Deran’s touch and for one horrifying moment, he was afraid Adrian had passed out. He checked Adrian’s face and saw his dazed eyes staring up at him.

Cradling the back of Adrian’s head in one hand, Deran slid the icepack behind his neck. Flinching upward, Adrian struggled to get away from the cold.

“Hang on, Adrian. Just trust me, it’s going to feel so good in a moment.” Deran practically cooed the words, feeling a little shitty for all of the times he’d made fun of Craig for speaking similarly to his girlfriends.

It happened in tiny increments but Adrian finally relaxed. Deran didn’t know if the icepacks were working or if Adrian had just run out of energy. He supposed it really didn’t matter; the only thing that mattered was that Adrian needed to get better.

-0-

Deran woke up to a crick in his neck and sore ribs. The first was curtesy of falling asleep holding Adrian’s hand with his cheek resting on his bed and the second was from Jess Dolan poking in his side.

Hard.

“Your brother is outside, wants to talk to you. I’m not letting another dick dom inside this room so you’ll have to leave.” For Jess, that was pretty mild.

He stretched, trying to get his sore joints to crack, and then moved toward the door.

Jess grabbed his shirt sleeve and crinkled her nose. “Maybe get a shower while you’re at it. I’ll keep an eye on Sleeping Beauty.

With one more look over his shoulder at Adrian, he left the room. He’d been out of his mind with worry as Adrian’s fever had climbed and he’d restlessly twitched and cried out. The fever had come down but, in its wake, it had left an exhausted Adrian who barely moved.

As soon as he stepped into the hallway Craig accosted him. “What the fuck, dude?” His nose crinkled up just like Jess’s had. “You reek.” 

“Well, it’s been a while since I was able to shower.” He looked at the now closed door, wondering how Adrian was doing. He knew he’d just left him but his instincts urged him to turn around and stand guard. 

Craig held out a bag. “I brought you a fresh change of clothes. And deodorant. You should be able to grab a shower.”

Deran was touched by his brother’s thoughtfulness. “Thanks, Craig.” He peeked into the bag, happy to see jeans, a t-shirt and long-sleeved shirt along with underwear and socks. They would be comfortable for sitting around and most importantly, they were clean. He inhaled near the side of his armpit and realized Craig wasn’t even joking; he was ripe. “Hey, what day is it?”

His brother blushed which was a weird reaction. “It’s, um, Friday.”

 _Shit_. Deran was supposed to meet Linc here on Tuesday afternoon. To be his heat partner. “Uh, I lost track of time.”

Craig smacked in the shoulder with his beefy fist. “Don’t worry, I covered for you.” 

His brother’s pink cheeked had turned to a brighter shade, approaching red. “Covered for me?” He wasn’t following the conversation.

Eyebrows raised so high they looked like they were taking flight, Craig cleared his throat. “Yeah. With Linc. I took care of him.”

“Oh?” Deran was sleep deprived and anxious and missing the point.

 _Craig took care of Linc for him_.

“Oh! Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think to let anyone know.” At least now Deran understood the hardcore blush. Craig was into ladies so for him to step in with Linc on his behalf…he was going to really owe his brother.

With a shrug, Craig dismissed his worries. “The Heat Center let us know that your partner was in crisis so I, uh, took the initiative to fill in for you. Linc didn’t seem to mind but, bro, Smurf was super pissed off. You might want to avoid her for, like, forever.”

If he’d been having this conversation three days ago, Deran would’ve been freaked out. Pleasing Smurf was almost ingrained in his DNA.

Like his allele identify.

Only he should’ve listened to his dominant instincts and ignored Smurf’s wishes; if he had, Adrian wouldn’t be stuck here, suffering from major heat sickness.

A doctor and a nurse entered Adrian’s room and he drifted back toward them. If something was going on, he needed to know about it.

Jess emerged from the room, a blinding smile on her face. “He’s awake! And he was finally making sense.”

Deran, weak with relief, leaned against the wall for support. There had been concern that the high fever had caused some brain damage. Deran had been so focused on just keeping Adrian alive that he hadn’t realized how worried he’d been about that possibility.

Adrian was bright and funny and motivated…he couldn’t imagine his friend damaged.

“Can I go inside?” Deran wanted to see Adrian. See him conscious and talking and maybe even hug him. Even if he wasn’t a dominant, he was pretty certain he’d feel that way; first and foremost, Adrian was his friend. The dominant instincts just added another layer of fun to the proceedings.

No wonder Adrian had been all up in arms about contracts and crazy hormones driving every aspect of people’s lives. If only Deran had listened more. 

The smile slid from Jess’s face, leaving behind a frown. “He, uh, doesn’t want to see you.” Jess actually squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry, Deran. Maybe just give him a little time and he’ll come around.”

She excused herself and returned to Adrian’s side.

Deran slowly slid down the wall, landing on his ass. How could he make things right if Adrian wouldn’t see him?

-0-

Deran had been kicked out of the Heat Center. Craig had taken him home because he really didn’t have another option at the moment.

He needed to have a plan because he wasn’t going to let Smurf dictate the rest of his life. It was just so hard to make plans when the biggest question mark was whether Adrian would talk to him again.

Smurf ignored him. Baz and Pope gave him funny looks. Craig was the only one willing to talk to him and his brother just pushed him into his bathroom and told him to get cleaned up.

He did. And then he slept. For sixteen hours. 

Now he was back at the Heat Center because Adrian wanted to speak to him.

Nina, his favorite nurse, was on duty and she waved to him as he moved toward Adrian’s room although she looked sad.

Maybe Adrian had suffered a setback. 

He knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter; he wasn’t going to fuck this up on some technicality.

When Adrian gave him permission, Deran stuck his head inside the room, taking in the absence of his guard-dog Jess. He shuffled his feet toward the bed but didn’t sit down.

The head of Adrian’s bed was up and he rested against some pillows. He was still as pale as the white sheets and his eyes lacked sparkle but the fact that he was upright made Deran want to smile.

There had been moments when Deran had thought Adrian wouldn’t pull through.

“You look better. How are you feeling?” Deran should’ve stopped for something—balloons or candy or flowers. He’d been so excited at the prospect of seeing Adrian that everything else had fled from his mind.

Adrian shrugged. “You’d better have a seat. You look like you’re going to pass out.” His tone matched the flat look in his eyes.

Deran knew he wasn’t looking his best. His skin was dull and he had dark smudges beneath his eyes. Staying up for 72 consecutive hours had done him zero favors.

He just wished he knew if Adrian cared that he looked like he could pass out. He couldn’t tell.

Adrian had always been an open book to him before; now he couldn’t read his friend.

Settling in the chair he’d called home these last three days, Deran stared at Adrian and waited.

“You can quit looking at me like that,” Adrian crossed his arms over his chest.

“Like what?” Deran hadn’t been giving a certain look that he was aware of; he was just relieved he was allowed near Adrian. Although Adrian didn’t seem to share the same sentiment—even his vanilla and cinnamon scent was muted today. 

“Like I’m your recessive partner.” Adrian kept his head bent, staring downward.

Deran wanted to tip his chin up, look into his eyes. Sooth him with his hands.

Adrian’s body language warned him against touching him. “As far as I’m concerned you are my recessive partner. I want to be your partner. Permanently.” Deran licked his lips, suddenly nervous. Was this that autonomy thing Adrian was always talking about? “Uh, don’t you want to be mine?”

Tightening his folded arms against his chest—biceps and triceps catching Deran’s attention because he was still tired but not dead—Adrian’s mouth twisted into an unhappy snarl. “The fever burned it out of me. I’m not recessive anymore. If you want that, you’re going to have go look somewhere else. Maybe that Linc guy can be yours.”

Deran felt like a wave had pounded him into sand and wouldn’t let him up. He couldn’t get enough oxygen.

_Is this what drowning felt like?_

He still felt incredibly drawn to his friend. Still wanted to protect him from, well, everything. 

Struggling past the tightness in his chest, Deran tried to make Adrian understand his feelings for him. “I don’t care if you’re a recessive. Or standard. Or even if you’re purple. Adrian, I just want to be with you. The question is—do you want to be with me?”

Adrian’s head snapped up and _oh fuck_. Deran never wanted to see that expression on his friend’s face again. Scared. _Haunted._. “But you didn’t want to be with me. You choose to be with that other guy. You said you knew what that could do to me but you still—”

“No, Adrian. I didn’t. Not really. I never would’ve agreed if I’d known you’d get sick.” He reached out slowly and thumbed a tear snaking down Adrian’s gaunt cheek; Adrian let him. “I never should’ve gone along with that contract, but, Smurf…”

“I know the stupid hormones had me confused but you wanting to partner someone else…I wanted to die, Deran.” Adrian bent forward, wrapping his arms around his middle.

Deran needed to touch him. To comfort him. If Adrian’s didn’t want it then he’d have to say something because Deran couldn’t sit back and do nothing.

That would never happen again, not when it came to Adrian.

“Adrian, you almost died. And it’s my fault. I could never live with myself if something happened to you. You have to believe me.” Deran sat on the edge of the bed and Adrian leaned into his body. “I’m so sorry, Adrian.”

Adrian’s arms curled around Deran’s neck and he rested against his body. If Deran had his way he’d do this every day. All of the time. Just touching Adrian made him feel better. He could only hope his touch did the same for Adrian.

The guy curled against his chest sighed. “I don’t blame you, not really. No one tells you how awful the influx of fucking feelings is when you present. And I know how Smurf is, the control she wants over you. I’m pretty sure she was pissed off that you presented as a dom, wasn’t she?”

Deran almost denied it, Smurf had taken things remarkably in stride, but then he realized that wasn’t the case. Smurf knew Deran had feelings for Adrian, was probably the one who bought off Adrian’s parents and sent him away, and she’d still maintained Deran had to go through with the contract with another recessive.

Despite his feelings and wishes.

“I’m not going to let Smurf hurt you anymore. I’m going to get her out of my life. I just need to know if you want to be with me.” When Adrian didn’t say anything, Deran held him closer. “I’ll wait for you, Adrian. As long as it takes.”

Finis

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt for this story was fever/delirium which fit right into the main theme of burn.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
